Two sentenced in Coatesville robbery

WEST CHESTER — It was unclear Monday who was more undecided about the plea agreement for an armed robbery case from Coatesville and its proposed penalties — the defendant, a teenager wary of being under law enforcement scrutiny for the better part of the next decade, or the judge, who considered the jail sentence it contained far too lenient.

But in the end, after a lot of back and forth between the judge, the defendant, his mother, his attorney and the prosecutor in the case, the agreement was accepted and a sentence that combined prison time with probation imposed.

Drevon Echols, 18, of Coatesville pleaded guilty to charges of robbery and conspiracy, and was sentenced to 11½ to 23 months in Chester County Prison, followed by six years of probation. A teen with no adult criminal record and a tentative manner, Echols seemed unsure of himself and the proceeding at times but ultimately accepted responsibility for the crime and agreed to the punishment.

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The sentence was imposed by President Judge James P. MacElree II, who was taken aback by the prison time Echols will serve, since the offense he committed amounted to an armed robbery with a gun.

“Ordinarily in this type of case I would sentence someone to state prison in the blink of an eye,” MacElree told Echols’ attorney, Assistant Public Defender Lauren Holt, and the prosecutor, Assistant District Attorney Jonathan Harrar. MacElree asked why the jail term was not more than one year.

Holt and Harrar told the judge that there were “evidentiary problems” with the prosecution’s case, and that the county prison sentence and subsequent probation — which requires Echols to get a full time job or enroll in school — would give him an opportunity to charge the course of his life.

Harrar said that in considering the strength of his case he had to take into account that the alleged witnesses and victims in the case were from Coatesville and were “not enthusiastic” about testifying against Echols.

“We hope this sentence can be a catalyst for change in his life,” Harrar said, noting that Echols had not contested the case against him since his arrest last year.

At first, MacElree said he would only accept the plea if the amount of probationary time was increased to 10 years overall, so that should Echols violate his probation there would be significant punishment.

“If you do anything wrong that violates the law you will be brought back (to court) and I could sentence you to the balance of that term,” the judge told Echols, who wore a white T-shirt and camouflage pants to court. “The police will be looking carefully at you.”

But that idea seemed to startle Echols, and he and Holt stepped back from MacElree’s bench to talk the case over. They could be seen in the hallway outside the courtroom, and Holt was in animated discussion with Echols and his mother, who had accompanied him to court and seemed reluctant for him to accept the sentence.

Eventually, Holt and Harrar discussed the plea arrangements, and decided to ask MacElree to accept a term of six years probation after his prison parole, which would have him under supervision for a total of eight years, one behind bars.

The judge agreed. “As long as yo remain crime free, you don’t have a problem,” MacElree said.

The robbery occurred on Oct. 9, according to Harrar’s description of events and court records. Echols, known as “Munna,” and a friend, Tremayne “Tre” Styer, were in the 700 block of Merchant Street in Coatesville when Styer flagged down a Nissan Rogue SUV in which Timothy Osborne, Styer’s cousin, and Phontel Maxie were riding.

Styer hopped in the back seat of the SUV and was quickly followed by Echols, the criminal complaint states. Echols drew what appeared to be a black semi-automatic pistol and demanded, “Give everything up.” He took an iPhone, an iPod and a wallet with $800 from the occupants, and the two left, after hitting Osborne in the head with the gun several times.

The crime was investigated by Coatesville Detective Ryan Wright. Maxie was able to identify the gunman as Echols, while Osborne related the involvement of his cousin, Styer. The pair was arrested in November.

In addition to Echols’ plea, MacElree also accepted the plea and sentence Monday of Styer, who received 11½ to 23 months in county prison and three years of probation. He has been in county prison since his arrest, while Echols was free on bail.

Echols was not taken from the courtroom to begin serving his sentence. Instead, he was given until Thursday to report to the Pocopson facility so that he can move his girlfriend and their young son from his apartment, and so that he can visit his father, who is serving a life sentence in state prison for murder.